Suppression of tumor growth by the 3' untranslated region of mel-18 in 3Y1 cells transformed by the E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 18.

By introducing a cDNA library derived from rat embryonic fibroblast cells, we isolated several morphologically flat revertants of rat 3Y1 cells transformed by the E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 18 (HPV18). From one of the revertants, we recovered a 0.2-kb cDNA, N56, that suppresses the tumor growth of the transformed 3Y1 cells irrespective of the expression of the E6 and E7 genes. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA was shown to be identical to that of the 3' untranslated region of a putative mammalian polycomb group gene, mel-18.

Degradation of p53 only is not sufficient for the growth stimulatory effect of human papillomavirus 16 E6 oncoprotein in human embryonic fibroblasts.

Certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), such as types 16 and 18, are thought to be responsible for the development of cervical carcinomas. The E6 and E7 genes of these viruses have transforming activities in various cultured cells and their mRNAs and proteins are expressed in almost all cervical carcinoma cells. Inactivation of the tumor suppressor p53 protein by the E6 gene is believed to be critical for transformation by these oncogenic HPVs. To determine whether degradation of the p53 protein is, in fact, sufficient for cellular transformation by the E6 gene, the E6 gene of HPV16 was introduced into human embryonic fibroblasts (HEF) using recombinant murine retrovirus and examined whether reduction of the p53 protein could substitute for the E6 function. It was found that HEF cells transfected with the E6 gene showed an increased saturation density and degraded the p53 protein. However, when expression of the p53 protein in normal HEF cells was suppressed by the antisense oligonucleotide of the p53 gene, growth stimulation was not observed. These results show that the E6 gene stimulates growth of HEF cells, but that this activity involves some other E6 gene-mediated functions than degradation of the p53 protein.

Correlation between tumorigenicity and expression levels or splicing patterns of transcripts of the human papillomavirus type 16 E6 gene.

For determination of the correlation between tumorigenicity and the expression levels or splicing patterns of E6 mRNAs of the human papillomavirus type 16 in established cells, a vector containing the intact E6 open reading frame which expresses both unspliced and spliced mRNAs, one expressing only unspliced E6 mRNA, and one expressing both unspliced and spliced mRNAs but producing only truncated E6 proteins were constructed. In transformation assays and analyses of E6 mRNAs, a higher expression level of unspliced E6 mRNA was found to be closely associated with tumorigenicity. Furthermore, it was also related with anchorage-independent growth and a decreased serum requirement of the cells.

Acidic regions of cytochrome c1 are essential for ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase activity in yeast cells lacking the acidic QCR6 protein.

It has been suggested that the two acidic regions around residue 70 and residue 170 in yeast cytochrome c1, a subunit of ubiquinol-cytochrome c reductase (complex III), interact with cytochrome c in the electron transfer reaction and that the QCR6 protein, the acidic subunit of yeast complex III, enhances this interaction. In order to determine the roles of the acidic regions of cytochrome c1 more precisely, we introduced several mutations in the two acidic regions and examined their effects on the ability of modified cytochrome c1 to complement the respiration deficiency of yeast cells lacking only cytochrome c1 or both cytochrome c1 and the QCR6 protein. The mutant cytochrome c1 with the deletion of the first acidic region (delta 68-80) was still functional in the cytochrome c1-deficient strain. Mutant cytochrome c1 with the deletion of the second acidic region (delta 168-179) caused a decrease in the complementing ability, but this is probably due to failure in its proteolytic maturation and/or correct assembly into complex III. Mutant cytochrome c1 with altered charge distribution in the acidic regions (Asp170Asp171-->Asn170Asn171 or Asp170Asp171-->Asn170Lys171) made the cytochrome c1-deficient cells respiration-competent. On the other hand, mutant cytochrome c1 with the deletion of the first acidic region (delta 68-80) or altered charge distribution in the second region (Asp170Asp171-->Asn170Lys171) did not restore the respiration deficiency of the cells lacking not only cytochrome c1 but also the QCR6 protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Isolation of flat revertants from human papillomavirus type 18 E6E7 transformed 3Y1 cells by transfection with a rat embryo fibroblast cDNA expression library.

A rat embryo fibroblast (REF) cDNA expression library was transfected into 3Y1 cells transformed by human papillomavirus type 18 E6 and E7 genes and 10 flat revertants were isolated. These revertants expressed the same levels of E6 and E7 mRNA as the parent cells, but had greatly reduced ability to form colonies in soft agar. Suppression of transformation was dominant in cell hybrids generated by fusing each revertant with the parental transformed cells. Furthermore, loss of transfected cDNA was observed in re-transformed cell hybrids derived from one flat revertant. Overexpression of the cDNA suppresses the colony-forming efficiency of the cells transformed by E6 and E7 genes.

Replacement of putative axial ligands of heme iron in yeast cytochrome c1 by site-directed mutagenesis.

The His-44 and Met-164 residues of yeast cytochrome c1 are evolutionally conserved and regarded as heme axial ligands bonding to the fifth and sixth coordination sites of the heme iron, which is directly involved in the electron transfer mechanism. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was used to generate mutant forms of cytochrome c1 of yeast having amino acid replacements of the putative axial ligands of the heme iron. When a cytochrome c1-deficiency yeast strain was transformed with a gene encoding the Phe-44, Tyr-44, Leu-164, or Lys-164 protein, none of these transformants could grow on the non-fermentable carbon source. These results suggest that the His-44 and Met-164 residues have a critical role in the function of cytochrome c1 in vivo, most probably as axial ligands of the heme iron. Further analysis revealed that the mutant yeast cells with the Phe-44, Tyr-44, or Leu-164 protein lacked the characteristic difference spectroscopic signal of cytochrome c1. However, in the Lys-164 mutant cells, partial recovery of the cytochrome c1 signal was observed. Moreover, the Lys-164 protein retained a low but significant level of succinate-cytochrome c reductase activity in vitro. The possibility that the nitrogen of Lys-164 served as the sixth heme ligand is discussed in comparison with cytochrome f of a photosynthetic electron-transfer complex, in which lysine has been proposed to be the sixth ligand.